Running-gear for vehicles.



N0. 640,64I. Patented Jan. 2, I900.

' E. ENGELMANN.

RUNNING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet l.

Patented Ian. 2,' I900.

\ E. ENGELMANN.

RUNNING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

llllllllHl HIIHIHI I I l l lllllllllll I I TN: Monms PETERS ca.uo'roumo" wunmamu u c UNrrEn ST TES PATENT @rrrcni.

EMIL ENGELMANN, OF J ERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,641, dated January2, 1900. Application filed March 24, 1899, Serial No- 710,389. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL ENGELMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing in J ersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRunning-Gear for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to running-gear for vehicles, such asdelivery-wagons and the like; and the object of the same is to dispensewith the coupling-pole or reach and to permit the turning of the vehiclein a less space than ordinary.

Heretofore in that class of vehicles in which the fore wheels aresmaller than the hind wheels, so as to increase the draft, and in whichthe hind wheels are carried by a bent or cranked axle, a reach or perchwas employed; but this is done away with in the present invention bymaking the bed or platform take the place thereof.

Tothese ends my invention consists of a running-gear for vehicles whichcomprises a wagon-bed, a cranked hind axle, C-springs supporting the bedfrom said axle, and a fore truck which is swiveled to the forward partof the bed by a king-bolt and is composed of a bolster, a fore axle, anelliptic spring conmeeting the latter and the bed, converging houndsconnected with the said bolster, and a brace connecting the hounds andfore axle, and a fifth-wheel upon which the said truck has bearing andby which the wagon is prevented from careening, all as will behereinafter fully described, and then particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimprovedvehicle running-gear. Fig. 2 is an under side view of the same, showingthe fore truck in dotted lines as turned. Fig. 3 is a front elevationwith the wheels removed and part broken away. Fig. 4 is a section online at 4:, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 6 isan enlarged detail section of the front part of the wagon-bed and thefore truck, and Fig. 7 is a broken detail view of apart of the fronttruck.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

bed of the wagon, which is composed of a suitable framework adapted tosupport the wagon-body. (Not shown.)

B represents the fore wheels, and C the hind wheels.

The fore Wheels B are mounted on the ends of the axle D, which is curveddownwardly toward the middle or cranked, as shown in Fig. 3. An ellipticspringE is secured to the fore axle by clips e e, and the upper part ofthe spring E is secured to a bolster F by clips ff. Convergingrearwardly from the bolster F are the hounds G, which are arranged 011each side of the center piece G, attached to the bolster and the rearends of the hounds. Fastened to the rearwardly-projecting end of thecenter piece G is a center brace H, curved downwardly and forwardly andprovided at its forward end with laterally-extending ears or lugs 71-,so that by means of the rivet h and-the clips ce, which pass over saidears h, (see Fig. 7,.) the brace is firmly connected with the lowersection of the chip tic spring. A second center brace H is arrangedunder brace H. Additional converging braces I are secured at theirconverging rear ends to the center piece G and at their spread-forwardends to the axle D by means of shackles J.

The parts described, with the exception of the wheels and bed, form atruck, which is swiveled to the bed A by means of a kingbolt K, whichpasses through the center piece G. A wear-plate K is arranged betweenthe bed and the truck.

To avoid careening of the vehicle, fifthwheel sectors L L', respectivelyfront and rear, are attached to the bed A, upon the edges of whichsectors guide-pieces Z Z, attached to the front and rear ends of thetruck, are guided.

The hind axle M is cranked, and to the same are secured, by clips m, thelonger forwardly-extending lower sections of a pair of C-springs N N,the upper sections of which are secured to the bed A. The forward endsof the lower sections of the C-springs are hinge-jointed to the outerends of a semielliptic spring P by means of shackles P. The spring Pextends transversely across the bed of the vehicle and is secured, bymeans of clips Q, to a transverse bolster Rof the bed.

In the running gear constructed as described it will be observed thatthe prominent feature is the doing away with the reach or perch, as thebed of the vehicle itself takes the place of the reach. Thisconstruction possesses the further advantage that the entire body of thevehicle and the load can be brought near to the axles, so as to beloaded or unloaded with great facility.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

In arnnning-gear for vehicles,a front truck, consisting of adownwardly-bent fore axle, an elliptic spring to the lower section ofwhich said fore axle is clipped, a bolster clipped to the upper sectionof said spring, a center piece and hounds extending rearwardly from thebolster and meeting at their rear ends, a center brace extending underand secured to the center piece and at its forward end being clipped tothe lower section of said spring, and side braces extending from thefore axle and converging at the rear end of the center piece,substantially as set forth. 1

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMIL ENGELMANN. Witnesses:

PAUL GonPnL, M. H. WURTZEL.

